Written questions by Gelderd.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations of the Centre for Social Justice's report entitled Lost Boys, published in March 2025.

The department wants to ensure that every child and young person can achieve and thrive in education, work and life, regardless of their gender or background. Work to tackle the impacts of disadvantage is embedded throughout the Opportunity Mission. Ensuring all children, including boys, experience the best start in life is the foundation of the Mission, recognising that children’s earliest years are crucial to their health, development and future life chances.High standards across education are the key to unlocking stronger outcomes and a better future for all children and young people. The department will drive high and rising standards in every school, delivered though excellent teaching, a high-quality curriculum and a school system which removes the barriers to learning that hold too many children back.We are determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all our young people. One in eight 16 to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment or training and as the Lost Boys report highlights, the majority of these are young men. This number is too high, and we are taking the action needed to tackle it by investing in skills training and opening up access to apprenticeships.This government’s focus on ‘Getting Britain Working’ is critical to growing the economy and aims to support young people through the new Youth Guarantee. This will ensure all young people aged 18-21 will have access to education, training or help to find a job or an apprenticeship.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the level of global deforestation on economic growth in the UK in the next five years.

The Government has no plans to assess how global deforestation specifically will affect the UK’s economic growth over the next five years. However, economic growth will be considered along with other factors in shaping our policy on deforestation. We are currently reviewing how to address deforestation in UK supply chains and will outline our approach in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of veterans working in (a) conservation and (b) land management; and whether he plans to support (a) training and (b) mentoring initiatives for those sectors.

Defra encourages veterans to apply for vacancies across multiple sectors, which are advertised on Civil Service Jobs. Defra is a participant of the Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme. All employees, including veterans, have access to a broad learning and development offer and mentoring initiatives. I also refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 April to Question 44868.

What recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterparts on UK-China efforts to halt global deforestation.

The UK and China have agreed to hold a UK-China Climate Dialogue and a UK-China Environment Dialogue later this year to accelerate action to tackle the global climate and biodiversity crises. The details of the Dialogues will be confirmed in due course. The UK remains committed to working with all international partners to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation.

Whether the UK-China Economic and Financial Dialogue will include joint work on global deforestation.

The UK and China have agreed to hold a UK-China Climate Dialogue and a UK-China Environment Dialogue later this year to accelerate action to tackle the global climate and biodiversity crises. The details of the Dialogues will be confirmed in due course. The UK remains committed to working with all international partners to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest on the UK economy.

From our modelling we know that the UK consumption of agricultural commodities was associated with 35,600 hectares of deforestation worldwide in 2022 and 12.7 million tonnes of associated carbon emissions. The UK is estimated to have been the 15th largest driver of deforestation that year. The UK Government places an economic cost of £260 per tonne of carbon emitted, and the value of ecosystem services that forests provide are estimated to range from £9,000-£22,000 per hectare depending on whether they are tropical, which would include the Amazon, or temperate.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of UK imports of commodities on the financial value of deforested land.

From our modelling we know that the UK consumption of agricultural commodities was associated with 35,600 hectares of deforestation worldwide in 2022 and 12.7 million tonnes of associated carbon emissions. The UK is estimated to have been the 15th largest driver of deforestation that year. The UK Government places an economic cost of £260 per tonne of carbon emitted, and the value of ecosystem services that forests provide are estimated to range from £9,000-£22,000 per hectare depending on whether they are tropical, which would include the Amazon, or temperate.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 September 2024 to Question 3449 on Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances, when he plans to set out his plans for addressing Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances; and whether he plans to consider this as part of the review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

The revised Environmental Improvement Plan, which will be introduced in 2025, will set out the Government’s approach to managing PFAS.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to help tackle the impact of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances in the marine environment.

The UK Government is working closely with domestic regulators and key stakeholders to improve wider understanding and approach to managing the risks from PFAS. This includes working with the Environment Agency (EA) to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources, and potential risks to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. My department has asked the Health and Safety Executive to consider a UK REACH Restriction on PFAS in firefighting foams, and a proposal is due to be published soon. Internationally, PFAS were added to the OSPAR List of Chemicals for Priority Action in 2023. This list identifies substances considered to be a threat to the marine environment and the actions that OSPAR Contracting Parties (including the UK) should take to minimise those threats.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to further restrict the use of Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances where there are clear alternatives.

Following the publication of a Regulatory Management Options Analysis (RMOA) on PFAS in April 2023, my department asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate whether to restrict PFAS in firefighting foams under the UK REACH (Restriction, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals) regime. HSE’s restriction dossier is due to be published for consultation in Spring 2025. Alongside this, my department is also considering further measures on PFAS.

If she will publish the budget for (a) UK REACH and (b) GB CLP for 2025-26; and identify (i) income from fees, charges and other sources and (ii) expenditure including staff costs in the (A) Health and Safety Executive, (B) Environment Agency, (C) Office for Product Safety and Standards and (D) UK Health Security Agency.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not publish separate budgets for the UK REACH and GB CLP regulatory regimes. For the financial year 2025-26, the full cost of the planned activity is around (a) £6.1m on UK REACH, of which approximately £2.5m are staff costs and (b) £1m on GB CLP, of which approximately £0.44m are staff costs. These costs will be met by income from several sources, including fees and charges paid by industry and allocations from government which vary each year depending on the activity being carried out. For UK REACH, fees from industry for 2025-26 are forecast to be £1.53m. The information requested on budgets and expenditures in relation to different agencies are not held by this department. You may wish to contact the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for the Environment Agency, the Department for Business and Trade for Office for Product Safety and Standards, and the Department of Health and Social Care for UK Health Security Agency.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to support the creation of an additional protocol to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime to help tackle wildlife trafficking.

The UK remains committed to tackling the illegal wildlife trade and supporting efforts to strengthen legal frameworks, including through the United Nations. The Conference of Parties to the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime met in Vienna from 14-18 October 2024. The UK played an active role in the Conference, which agreed to convene an expert group on environmental crimes that will identify any gaps in the international legal framework and consider how these can be addressed.

What steps she is taking to help tackle delays caused by (a) tolls and (b) traffic to emergency service vehicles on the Tamar (i) bridge and (ii) ferries.

This Government acknowledges that the Tamar Crossings are an important local issue. Toll management is a matter for local determination through the Tamar Joint Committee and we recognise the benefits of the recently formed Tamar 2050 Programme Stakeholder Panel which will help oversee key decisions. It is, of course, essential that emergency vehicles are able to travel swiftly to deal with urgent incidents. The Joint Committee maintains a very close working relationship with the emergency services. Although it is not possible to offer a dedicated emergency route on the bridge, this close level of engagement helps to ensure that emergency vehicles can cross as quickly as possible. Ferry crews are given clear guidance when managing access for emergency vehicles and their subsequent departure.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of toll charges at the Tamar crossings on the (a) profitability and )b) sustainability of local businesses in South East Cornwall constituency.

The Transport Charges &c. (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1954 sets out that when considering applications for changes to tolls, the Minister must “have regard to the financial position and future prospects of the undertaking and shall not make any revision of charges which in his opinion would be likely to result in the undertaking receiving an annual revenue either substantially less or substantially more than adequate to meet such expenditure on the working, management and maintenance of the undertaking and such other costs, charges and expenses of the undertaking as are properly chargeable to revenue, including reasonable contributions to any reserve, contingency or other fund.” In respect of the current application for changes to the tolls at the Tamar crossings, local businesses will have been able to make their views known during the consultation process and during the public inquiry.

What steps his Department is taking to help people in South East Cornwall constituency to access healthcare services in Devon using the Tamar Crossings.

The Government acknowledges that the Tamar Crossings are an important local issue. We are determined to work with the National Health Service to ensure that everyone can access a general practice and other healthcare services, and we will move towards a Neighbourhood Health Service, with more care delivered in local communities.

Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Tamar Crossing tolls on economic growth in (a) South East Cornwall constituency and (b) Plymouth.

The government recognises the importance of the Tamar crossings to South East Cornwall, Plymouth and also to the wider area, providing a vital link between Cornwall and Devon for local residents and businesses. The tolls for the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry are set locally by the Tamar Joint Committee, a local government committee made up of elected representatives from Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council. It is for this local committee to determine the right level of toll to meet the day-to-day running costs and ongoing maintenance of the Torpoint Ferry and Tamar Bridge. The government has not carried out an assessment of the potential impact of the Tamar crossing tolls on economic growth but does recognise the importance of the crossings and that is why the Cornwall Level 2 devolution deal, that this government committed to progressing in September 2024, committed to work together with Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council to consider options for future legislation to enable a more efficient toll revision process. Looking ahead, the government recommends local authorities from both sides of the Tamar consider the opportunities that devolution would bring for increased transport powers and supporting local growth.

Whether her Department plans to hold a public consultation ahead of the reapproval process for glyphosate in December 2025.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) acts as competent authority for pesticides under delegated powers from Defra and Devolved Governments. As part of the process for all pesticide active substances being considered for renewal in Great Britain (GB), HSE will hold a public consultation ahead of any renewal decision being made. This is a statutory requirement in GB pesticide legislation.

What progress his Department has made in determining which body will be responsible for (a) commissioning and (b) providing strategic direction for (i) community engagement, (ii) prevention and (iii) early intervention for gambling harms.

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

Whether his Department plans to allocate funding for community-based programmes for gambling harm (a) prevention and (b) early intervention in (i) rural, (ii) hard-to-reach and (iii) other areas.

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that gambling harm (a) prevention and (b) early intervention services will receive support following the transition of gambling harm treatment commissioning to the NHS (i) in isolated communities and (ii) for vulnerable and higher-risk groups in Cornwall.

On 12 February 2025, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) was appointed as the lead commissioning body for the prevention of gambling-related harms in England, alongside the appropriate bodies in Scotland and Wales.OHID is progressing work on the design of the new commissioning programme, working closely with NHS England as a future treatment commissioner, and with the responsible bodies in Scotland and Wales, to ensure alignment across prevention, early intervention, and treatment, so that those in need can access the right help at the right time. Decisions on how the levy funding will be allocated will be confirmed at the earliest opportunity.